Béla Károlyi Dies: Olympic Gymnastics Coach Was 82

Béla Károlyi, the gymnastics coach who honed the talents of Olympians like Nadia Comăneci and Kerri Strug, has died at 82.

USA Gymnastics announced Károlyi died on Friday, November 15, but did not specify a cause of death.

Károlyi started his athletic career as a Romanian national junior boxing champion and a hammer throw competitor in the 1956 Olympics, CNN reports. At the Romania College of Physical Education, Károlyi started coaching the women’s gymnastics team, which is how he met gymnast Márta Erőss, who’d become his wife.

After starting a national gymnastics school, Károlyi and his wife found Comăneci, then 6 years old. Under Károlyi’s coaching, Comăneci went on to the first perfect 10 and then six more at the 1976 Olympics when she was just 14.

Károlyi defected to the United States in 1981, and shortly thereafter, he bought a private gym in Houston, Texas, dubbing the facility Károlyi’s World Gymnastics. And Károlyi’s American students rose to fame, including Dianne Durham, the first Black gymnast to win the all-around title at the U.S. National Championships, Mary Lou Retton, the first U.S. gymnast to win the all-around Olympic gold medal, and Kim Zmeskal, the first U.S. woman to win the individual all-around title at the World Championships.

In a memorable moment from the 1996 Olympics, Károlyi urged an injured Strug to complete a second vault with an injured ankle en route to Team USA’s gold medal win.

As CNN reports, however, Károlyi’s coaching practices came under fire over the last 20 years. One lawsuit filed by a former gymnast claimed Károlyi and his wife struck, scratched, and berated gymnasts. The same suit claimed the Károlyis turned a blind eye to the abuse of gymnasts by USA Gymnastic team doctor Larry Nassar — who was eventually convicted of sexually assaulting minors — in exchange for him clearing injured athletes for competition. The Károlyis declined to comment to CNN about the suit at the time.

The civil suit was combined with other suits against Nassar, and after Nassar’s victims reached a $380 million settlement with USA Gymnastics, the Károlyis were released from future litigation, CNN adds.

Dominique Moceanu, a member of the “Magnificent Seven” U.S. women’s gymnastic team that won gold at the 1996 Olympics, mentioned the contradictions of Károlyi’s life in an X post after his death. She called him “a man whose influence on [her] life and the sport of elite gymnastics is undeniably significant” and “a complex individual, embodying a mix of strengths and flaws that left a lasting impact on those around him.”

Moceanu added, “While our relationship was fraught with difficulty, some of these moments of hardship helped me forge and define my own path. As we bid farewell to Bela, I choose to send loving thoughts to his family and loved ones, and honor our relationship by embracing lessons learned and striving to help create a world where compassion and encouragement guide our actions. May he rest in peace.”